Godzilla 2014

Godzilla 2014 is a strange film, but not in the sense of its general quality or some psychedelic plot. Rather, the film is a great monster movie, but not all too great a Godzilla film.  Unlike most reboots and remakes, this film is not an origin story, it is an introduction story. The best comparison is to The Incredible Hulk (2007). The opening credits serve as an origin to the world which this film inhabits, before jumping to the start off point for the film. In 1999, a mining corporation discovers an underground cavern in the Philippines containing the bones of ancient beasts as well as some eggs (referred to parasites in the film, but way too big to actually be parasites). Investigating these bones and eggs is a secret (for once not evil) multi-government agency called Monarch, headed by Dr. Serizawa (Ken Wantanabe) and  Dr. Graham (Sally Hawkins). Things go south and a nuclear reactor in Japan is destroyed and turned into a gestation nest for the newly birthed MUTO. 

This is where the Brody family comes into play. The father and wife (Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche respectively) work in the nuclear power plant while their son Ford goes to a school nearby.  When the nuclear power plant is destroyed, the mother dies (not a spoiler, not only is it in the opening, but it’s also in the trailer!) and the family is left broken. Flash-forward fifteen years later and Joe Brody discovers that a monster attack is imminent.  Que, monster battles as Joe and Ford Brody become stuck in the middle of a battle of the gods.

That last bit there is what this film does perfectly. Garth Edwards, perfectly captures the enormity of the conflict. The battles between Godzilla and the MUTOs are massive in scope and scale. These aren’t your generic monster battles. They’re battles between gods, where man is nothing more than an insignificant ant, hoping to not get squashed. Edwards and co. really play that part up really well, reducing the main characters too little more than spectators to a boxing match where the Earth is the ring. The destruction is on a scale truly deserving of the Kaiju title. The only other films in recent memory that can be used as a point of comparison are Cloverfield and Pacific Rim. Cloverfield, while having the same scale, is shot from a human’s perspective, so you can never truly appreciate the size of the beast. Pacific Rim on the other hand, while massive, is dwarfed by the Godzilla beasts, they are about the size of his leg and half as thick at best. Truly, the only comparison is the murals of Cthulu. A monstrous god, too whom humanity is an insignificant ant. The shots of the actors and even buildings scale truly drives this home. When the lizard drops, a skyscraper goes down beneath him. The best among these is definitely the HALO jump scene. Riders into a massive storm to a bone chilling soundtrack.

The next thing to note is that of the score. It’s fantastic, perfectly infusing the film with the much needed dread of a monster movie, while keeping the later style of fun. Desplat truly did something great  with the score. It’s never brash, nor annoying. It pops up to highlight the scene when needed and slips into the background when it’s nothing more than decoration for the world. An early contender for best score, perhaps?

The mixture of sight and sound would have been masterful all on its own, but with the help of a mostly excellent cast, the movie goes above and beyond. Bryan Cranston, Ken Wantanabe and David Straitharen are the shining points. Cranston plays Joe Brody with earnestness and compassion. Cranston aptly, handles carrying the massive weight of being the emotional anchor of the film. Even when he is not on screen, his impact echoes all throughout the film. Ken Wantanabe, plays the impassioned scientist, hoping to uncover the secrets of these ancient beasts. His roles harkens back to the old films, where he would played entirely as a straight man scientist spouting cheese one liners that make you either cringe or laugh. Wantanabe does the same here, except in his case, he carries the lines with conviction and seriousness. Lines like, “let them fight”, earn no cringes or smirks, but instead, shivers along your back. When Wantanabe speaks, you listen. Straithern plays the American military muscle, but a more sensible military man than what American cinema has given us. Straithern is the perfect actor to bring us a military leader who uses prudence and caution when dealing with unknowns. Even when he is forced to extremes, Straithern strives to make you believe that he has no other choice and would be the first to consider it (this character should really be used more often as a thinking man soldier, rather than the RAH-RAH-RAH, Hollywood usually spits out). All is not jolly in the casting department though.

Hawkins and Olsen are both lift with little too do. Hawkins’ talent is wasted on a role that amounts to little less than an assistant who speaks the obvious and ‘oos’ and ‘ahhs’ when required. Olsen fares little better, being reduced to a role which she surpassed in her first film. Neither character is really essential to the film in the way Cranston, Wantanabe and Straithern are in there supporting roles and serve more too highlight faults rather than heighten story or tension.

Then we have Aaron Tyler-Johnson. The man is a plank, a black hole of acting, the Michael Cera of action movies. Unlike Olsen and Hawkins, Johnson is given too much and he cannot shoulder it. He did fine in KickAss, because he was supposed to be out of place and lacking in confidence. In Godzilla, he does not play a rookie, but still sounds inexperienced (he actually sounds like he’s still going through puberty for most of the film). He has no gravitas, no conviction. Maybe it will come with time, but that’s still a ways away.

My final, ‘problem’ with the film is the lack of Godzilla. Yeah he looks and sounds amazing, but his time in the film is short. There is a distinct lack of focus on him as he only shows up in the last third of the film really. The reveal is handled really well and plays out fantastic, which would’ve worked out great in any old regular monster movie. When you have Godzilla in the name though, you have a very different set of priorities when it comes too who is the lead of your film. The film spends far too much time on the indestructible Ford and not enough on everyone’s favorite giant lizard.

On the other hand, the film is filled with an abundance of shout outs to Zilla fans, young and old. The soundtrack has little bits that sound like the old scores with a modern twist. The Godzilla vs Mothra wink on a background poster. Hell, even Wantanabe’s character is a reference/bridge to the legacy. All the winks bring glee to anyone who’s experienced a Gojira film before.

Overall this is a fantastic monster movie. Its lows are easily overlooked, while its highs are stunning and leave you breathless. It’s most glaring flaw, is the lack of lizard, that said though, when the green-man is on screen, he is handled perfectly and leaves you wanting more. Garth Edwards really knocks it out of the park with his second feature. Everything he has learned with his debut Monsters, is improved upon in every way in Godzilla. By the end, the film does two things. First, Godzilla has comeback with a solid bite, mimicking the return of Planet of the Apes. Secondly, the film Establishes Edwards as a new voice in filmmaking, who can aptly handle, small intimate films as well as large scale summer blockbusters.